Introduction

Communication/Contact

E-mail: mathai@fenn.net (Or any other email id you have been given)

In addition, you may be required to join a mailing list which would be used for distributing all assignments and other class materials. You are required to give your preferred mail address while registering (Please fill in all fields).

Telephone

If you have difficulty contacting me, do get in touch with my assistant or on my mobile: ++91 9980051414 (within india)

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Personal Meetings

You are encouraged to do some thinking/work before you meet me on a topic. For example, if you are required to work on a project, please complete some work by yourself, pass on the document to me, so I can take a look at it, and then schedule a meeting. For a group project, I request the entire group or a designated team representative to meet me, as I don't want to repeat myself to each member of the group.

You are also encouraged to visit my family and me at our residence whenever you are in the vicinity. Again remember to give me a call before you drop in. 

Submissions

Time Frames

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Delay in submission will result in forfeit as per the schedule below

Delay (hours)

Marks Forfeited

Deadline to 3 hours

10%

3 Hours to 24 hours

20%

Beyond 24 hours

50%

 (The above table may or may not apply in your particular case, please clarify at the beginning of the course or at the time the assignment is given to you)

The above criteria will be strictly adhered to, no matter how genuine the excuse. This procedure allows the student can make the necessary choice in situations beyond his or her control.

In some cases it may be that the student lost her formatting or is physically unable to submit an assignment completed as per schedule. Under such circumstances, I will accept an electronic submission (with all the content). But I will evaluate only the hard copy and hence submission of the hard copy within 24 hours of the deadline is essential.

Content

• You are required to use sources (properly acknowledged) but integrate them in your own words. If I find two answers to resemble each other closely, they will both receive zero on the assignment/quiz. This does not necessarily imply that they have copied from each other. (It could be because they have both followed the same source material too closely).
• Formal analysis is required even if the question sounds informal. What is tested is your ability to use the concepts and skills learnt as a result of the course, hence you are required to demonstrate this through the use of appropriate analytical framework. But please make sure that the analytical framework is best suited for the problem at hand.
• Unless otherwise mentioned, each submission has a limit of three sides of A4 size paper. Use single space and font size of 10 or above. This limit is exclusive of references, facing sheet and appendices (if any). Every assignment should have a facing sheet, which clearly states the students name, roll no. and class/batch. It should also contain the date and the deadline (time of submission, in case of delayed submissions.. to be signed in the presence of the person accepting the assignment) (The template for the same will be distributed to you). You are also required to attach a copy (or the original) of the question paper. If it is e-mail, please take a print out of the same. (This step has become necessary, since I have found that some students do not answer to the question.. perhaps including a copy would bring about a better focus).
• It is absolutely important to formally acknowledge all sources used for the assignment. A standard format (AMJ, APA, etc.) is to be used with both "in text" and references citations. A good method would be to select a good article from a reputed journal and keep a copy of the article with you for reference on how citations are to be made. Check out the MLAGEN page for a software that could help you do this. Check this link to see how the American Psychological Association requires you to give references. It may look complicated at first, but its a skill worth having. A skill that will stand you in good stead in all academic endeavours.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of all submitted material until the grades are finally released. You may keep them as hard copies or soft. Go to the top of the page
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Feedback:

Submissions and Grading

Submissions

Hand-written copies will be acceptable for deadline purposes. However, I will require a hard copy (computer printout or typewritten copy) within 24 hours (this time limit may be changed for submissions that are sent in from off-campus locations).

Note On Virus: Please refer to the note on computer viruses earlier on in this document.

Grading Scheme:

This section on grading may NOT apply to all classes/courses. The specific pattern for your grades will be discussed in the classroom
Grades will be allotted individually and over all, using the following scheme. Criteria for each component will be decided individually. Your score can change by one grade point when computing the overall score. For example, if you have a B score in the individual components, your overall grade can be a B+ or a B-, This takes into the account that the sum of the parts don't make up the whole. This score will depend on the "overall impression".

The scheme is indicative and marks may be awarded on a continuous scale, rather than on a discrete scale that the scheme might appear to imply. There are of course other factors. For example a particular response may be poor in terms of comprehensiveness, but good in structured presentation or in creativity. Such factors will be considered and added to the scale mentioned.

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IMPORTANT NOTE ON PLAGARISM

Grading Scheme